


There's Always a Price

by Alexis_Black



Series: Child of the Hunt Series [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: HPFT, F/M, Hogwarts Era, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-09 22:39:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8915791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexis_Black/pseuds/Alexis_Black
Summary: Narcissa Malfoy had been estranged from her sister Andromeda ever since she married Ted Tonks, a Mudblood wizard. When the Malfoy family is charged with a task that takes her into the depths of the Ministry of Magic, Narcissa is forced to confront Andromeda and learns that secrets always carry a price.





	1. The Task

She laid the antique hairbrush with its gleaming silver handle on the vanity and stared into the mirror. Her finely-chiseled aristocratic features were marred only by her down-turned mouth. Her eyes glanced at the reflection of her husband, who stood just behind her.

“Is this truly necessary, Lucius? Is there not another who would be better suited for the task?”

Lucius brushed her blonde hair off her shoulder, exposing her neck. Leaning down to inhale Narcissa’s fragrance, he replied, “It is not a matter of whether there is someone better suited, Cissy. The Dark Lord has placed the task upon our family.”

His breath warmed her skin before his cool lips caressed it in a kiss. Then he pulled away with a deliberate look in his icy grey eyes. “You know what is at stake.”

Narcissa sighed as she turned to face him and nodded. Although she was not a member of the Death Eaters, she would perform this task just as she had years ago when the Dark Lord needed a spy in Dumbledore’s group. That together Lucius and Narcissa had been successful in turning the one person who had been responsible for the Potter’s safety did not erase the most recent blunder. Lucius’ miscalculation with the Weasley girl and that old diary had not gone unnoticed for all that it took place more than two years ago. It would not do to fail the Dark Lord again. For her husband’s sake, and her son’s, Narcissa would do whatever was necessary.

Satisfied by what he saw reflected in Narcissa’s eyes, Lucius draped a dark green robe over her shoulders. He admired the quiet strength within the cool, elegant beauty of his wife.

Narcissa was so unlike her fervent sister, Bellatrix. They were as different as the sun and moon. She was like a glass of cool ice-wine to Bella’s burning Firewhisky. Neither was Narcissa like Andromeda, with her contemptuous disregard of the long-held values of blood status; despite her breeding, Andromeda was a common man’s ale. The sibling Narcissa had been most similar to had been Adhara. Even then, Narcissa had been steadfast where her youngest sister had been untamed, like fiery absinthe.

Lucius drank in his wife’s presence and flawless appearance with pleasure. Narcissa was the perfect balance of devotion, quiet strength, and beauty.  
 

* * *

   
Narcissa arrived at the Ministry of Magic a few moments later with the taste of her husband’s lips still lingering on her mouth. She savored its unspoken promise as she entered the lift in the Atrium and selected the ninth level. The lift opened to a bare corridor that ended in a single black door. Beneath her hand, the handle was cool to the touch as Narcissa paused to take a steadying breath.

_You know what is at stake._

His words echoed in her mind. For a brief moment, she slid a manicured finger over a fine silver bracelet that graced her wrist. The gemstones adorning it were dominated by shades of green with the exception of one that was a solid black. Then lifting her chin in determination, Narcissa turned the handle and stepped inside before closing the door firmly behind her. The room immediately began to revolve. The burning blue candles raced across the mirrored reflection of the floor like trailing comets. Then the walls completed their revolution, revealing multiple identical doors. There was no way to even determine which one she had stepped through originally.

Turning decisively, Narcissa selected a new door and continued on her path deeper into depths of the Department of Mysteries.  
 


	2. The Past

Narcissa confidently pulled the door open and strode over the threshold of the adjoining room. Abruptly her step faltered. A cold trickle of fear crept down her spine as darkness greeted her eyes. The only light came from the room behind her. With a muffled slam, the door swung close.

Plunged into stygian darkness, Narcissa froze. The resolve that had held her firm began to crack in thin, snake-like fissures. With it, the hope of completing her task began to bleed out.

Her breathing became rapid and shallow. Although she strained her eyes, there was nothing to see in the oppressive darkness. Narcissa slid her hands up her arms and held herself tight. The sensation that the darkness was pressing down made her heart pound out a panicked rhythm.

Trapped. She was trapped again as she had been years ago when Bella had tricked her. Memories of her eleventh birthday party swelled up and overwhelmed Narcissa Malfoy.

_“Cissy, here.” Bella had pulled Narcissa away from the party into an empty room and handed her a note. “It’s from Lucius.”_

_“Lucius?” Narcissa opened the note and scanned its contents. Then she peered through the door to the ballroom where guests danced in beautiful clothing, swirling in time to the music. Women chatted amiably in small clusters while men indulged in drink or cigars. Even her cousins Sirius and Regulus appeared to be behaving under the stern eye of their mother. From what Narcissa had overheard while eavesdropping on her parents the previous week, they had their eyes on Sirius as a possible suitor for her younger sister, Adhara._

_At the moment, though, her parents were at the far side of the room speaking with the elder Malfoys. Both families seemed pleased with their arrangements. Lucius Malfoy, however, was missing. The last she had seen of him was when her sister Adhara had boldly inquired why Lucius was called a fox in the henhouse. The surrounding adults had twittered at the double entendre while their mother, face flushed with embarrassment, pulled Adhara away. That had been nearly half an hour ago._

_Bella grabbed the note and waved it in Narcissa’s face. “He says to meet him at the family mausoleum.’_

_When Narcissa looked doubtful, Bella continued. “You don’t want Lucius to think you don’t like him. Not after our parents’ announced your betrothal barely an hour ago.”_

_The last thing Narcissa wanted to do was leave her fiancé with a bad impression. He was handsome, well bred, from a family with impressive connections and money. In short, he was everything her parents were looking for in a match. All Narcissa could think of were his intense grey eyes and that lazy smile that made her stomach feel funny. Unconsciously, she touched the silver bracelet he had given her as a betrothal gift. Six gemstones, whose names corresponding with the letters of Lucius’ name, were set against silver serpentine links._

_“Come on!” Bella urged. “I’ll walk you there and then I’ll come back and hold off Mum and Dad.” Her sister winked at her. “In case he wants to steal a kiss.”_

_When they arrived, Narcissa stepped hesitantly into dark the mausoleum. The smell of dust and old things moldering in the shadows was strong. Two steps in, Narcissa halted._

_“Lucius?” she called out, fully expecting him to step out. “I’m here.”_

_An instant later, the door to the mausoleum slammed shut behind her, leaving Narcissa in the dark._

_“Bella!” she screamed, fumbling for the door._

_From outside came the sound of her sister’s laughter. “Hahahahaha! Have a good evening with the family skeletons, Cissy! I’ll be sure to send Lucius your greetings!”_

_Narcissa screamed until her voice was raw. Andromeda found her the next morning, having dreamt where her younger sister had spent the long night. She had been curled up in a corner of the mausoleum, repeatedly whispering Lucius’ name._

“Lucius?” she whispered now, in the dark bowels of the Ministry.

From somewhere to her left, a sound caught her attention. Narcissa turned slowly to face it.

 


	3. The Garden

It was the rattle of the door handle. As it swung open, light streamed in, making a silhouette of the man standing in the doorway. Narcissa raised a hand up to protect her eyes.

“Halt! State your name and purpose!” The voice rang with authority. A heartbeat later, candles scattered throughout the room flickered to life. Narcissa found herself facing a Ministry Watchwizard.

She quickly composed herself, pushing down the fear that had momentarily overwhelmed her. _Foolish woman, there is nothing to fear in the dark. There is only one who can hurt you or those you hold dear, and he certainly is not some half-grown fool of a guard._

“Narcissa Malfoy,” she answered coolly and turned to continue on her way. Before she could reach the door on the opposite wall, Narcissa was abruptly brought to a halt. He had grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him.

Narcissa glared at him coldly with narrowed eyes. Her gaze dropped from his face to his name badge and finally to the offending hand still on her person. Then she looked at his face and was pleased to see him slightly twitch. Her painted lips twisted in a condescending sneer.

“Perhaps you did not hear me clearly, Watchwizard Moore. I am Narcissa _Malfoy_. My husband is very good friends with your Minister. Unless you desire to lose your lofty position as a mere guard, I suggest you unhand me. Now.” One eyebrow arched questioningly.

The Watchwizard wilted beneath her gaze as he seemed to realize his job could be in jeopardy. His eyes darted about nervously and he dropped his hand. “I-I’m sorry, Ma’am, but you can’t – I mean, you aren’t allowed -” He struggled to find the proper words and finally blurted out, “You don’t have a visitor’s badge!”

With a sigh that bordered on disdain, Narcissa drew a silver badge out of a pocket of her robe and held it up for the guard to view. It clearly stated:

**Narcissa Malfoy  
Meeting with Seer Andromeda Tonks**

   
“Surely the Ministry has not instituted a rule regulating visits to family members in their employ?”

“N-no, Ma’am,” he stuttered, the blood draining suddenly from his face. His watery blue eyes stood out against the pale flesh. “The S-Seer’s quarters are that way.”

Moore pointed to the door that Narcissa had been heading towards.

“Indeed,” she said before turning away with a swirl of her cloak, leaving Eric Moore alone.

After a series of long passageways, Narcissa came to a door etched with two curved lines: one arched above and the other bowed downward. Together they enclosed a circle that lay in the middle. The all-seeing eye was the ancient symbol of Divination and used to demark the private areas of the Seers. An age ago, there had been close to a dozen such talented witches and wizards who had been privileged to wear that rune and enjoy the protection of the Ministry. Now there was merely one.

She lifted one hand and traced the symbol. Although Narcissa had firmly squashed any desire to cross paths with Andromeda, the plan Lucius had devised hinged on visiting her Mudblood-loving sister.

It was the memory of the mausoleum, though, that had unsettled Narcissa. Andromeda had been the one to locate and comfort her younger self. How ironic it was that the dark room had drawn out this particular memory.

_Enough stalling,_ she told herself firmly, _you know what waits beyond. Prepare yourself._

Narcissa swung open the door and entered a room heavy with the scent of flowers and filled with countless trees and plants. They sat in squat stone containers on the floor or were suspended in pots from the tree limbs. The trees soared upward into the night sky. Between the branches, moonbeams danced across delicate blossoms. Fragrant black lilies were scattered amongst nightshade and belladonna. In one corner stood a fountain; water gently cascaded down, tumbling until it gathered into a pool. From there, the water wandered along before disappearing under another wall.

At the center of the room was an inviting armchair done in dark grey damask. Grateful for the opportunity to rest her weary feet, Narcissa weaved her way through the foliage to it and sat down. The soft cushions gave beneath her slight weight. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips and Narcissa tucked her legs until she was curled up in the armchair.

The urgency of her mission seeped away in the comforting embrace of the chair and the lulling scent of the flowers. Thoughts of her family’s precarious position should she fail fell to the wayside as she listened to the playful splash of water.

Yet, in a small corner of her mind, Narcissa knew the sensations of not caring about anything to be false. It was merely a method the Ministry had devised to protect their Seers from any seeking to do them harm. The last time Narcissa had ventured into this room to visit her sister, it had fittingly presented itself as a nursery of a different sort. Pregnant with the unborn heir Lucius had greatly desired, Narcissa had also carried a warning.

Now in that tiny portion of her mind not affected by the room’s ward, she wondered at the meaning hidden behind its current guise of an innocuous moonlit garden.

Soft steps announced the arrival Narcissa waited for. From around a tree and between containers of flowers, Andromeda Tonks unerringly made her way. Her face was tilted downwards and auburn hair hid her countenance. It wasn’t until Andromeda stood directly before her sister that she lifted her face. Blind eyes clouded over with a white film piercingly met Narcissa’s clear, blue eyes.

“Hello, Cissy.”

 


	4. The Secrets

Andromeda withdrew a wand from a hidden pocket in her robes and waved it. Immediately, the lulling effects of the room ceased. Narcissa shook her head to clear away the remaining mental cobwebs and abruptly stood up; she wanted to be as far away from that chair as possible.

“How nice to see you, dear sister. Your visit is somewhat … unexpected,” Andromeda said.

Narcissa lips settled into their customary smirk. “Truly? And here I was under the impression that Seers saw everything.” She paced a few steps away and caressed the dark petals of a black lily growing from a hanging pot. “At least those of a decent caliber.”

The cutting remark didn’t seem to affect Andromeda. She merely tracked her sister’s movements with her blind eyes.

“It doesn’t take an Class-One Seer’s talents to predict you never forget a debt incurred. That is why you’re here, is it not?”

The smile on Narcissa’s face did not quite reach her eyes. “Well, I had thought to bring you word that our sister Bella has escaped Azkaban, especially in light of what happened the last time she crossed your path. However, since you have brought up the subject of debts … no, I don’t forget those.”

Andromeda’s aristocratic features were marred by a wince. She dropped her head and allowed the auburn hair to conceal her face once more. During Voldemort’s first rise to power, an offer had been made to Andromeda, one that she, like other Seers, had rightly refused. The price of that rejection would have been steep had Narcissa not warned her of Bella’s impending attack. Her fellow Seers had been given no such warning and suffered agonizing deaths only after witnessing the torture of their loved ones. Andromeda’s husband and daughter had escaped unscathed. The same could not be said for Andromeda, whose sight had been lost.

It was a life debt that Andromeda could not forget. “What do you want, Cissy?”

A husky chuckle escaped Narcissa’s throat as she plucked a single black lily from its pot and cradled it. “Nothing difficult, if that’s what you’re concerned about. There is a certain event being planned. He requires only that you turn a blind eye, so to speak.”

Andromeda ignored the barbed comment. “He? You mean Lucius’ master and the prophecy he seeks.” Andromeda lifted her head. “Yes, I know what he seeks. You do realize that only death will come of this.” She peered at her sister once more with her cataract-filmed eyes. “Ah, I see you do.”

“I will do what I must to protect my family.”

“Indeed. Tell me, Cissy, what would happen to your family if your Dark Lord discovered you had warned me years ago?”

It was Narcissa turn to look away in uncomfortable silence. The hands that had held the flower moments earlier now crushed the blossom. Doubt wormed its way in as stealthily as flower’s heady scent.

_Is it possible that’s why he placed this task on us? Was it a warning or subtle retribution?_

“Poor Cissy. You have eyes, but cannot see.” Her sister’s laughter was soft, almost musical. “But I am neither blind nor a fool. You would do well to remember that.”

Narcissa discarded the flower to the ground as she strode to face her sister. She would not allow Andromeda distract her from the task at hand.

“Your actions would speak otherwise,” Narcissa hissed angrily. “Marrying a short-lived, Muggle-born wizard and sullying our blood can only be the actions of a fool. Tell me, Dromeda, what will you do when your precious Ted grows old and withers away while you are still in your prime? Have you foreseen his death already? His Muggle blood will ensure he doesn’t live as many years as you.”

Pain blossomed at the mention of the inevitable. Muggle blood tended to make a wizard or witch live fewer years than their pureblood counterparts. The larger the infusion of Muggle blood, the shorter the lifespan. Ted was born to Muggle parents. Although Andromeda had come to terms with that fact, it stung nonetheless.

“I’ll be consoled by the fact Ted waits for me on the other side of the Veil. You, on the other hand, can take cold comfort that if you insist on this path, you will pay the price three times over.”

The unexpected pronouncement had the effect Andromeda intended. Narcissa took a step backward, her brow furrowed.

“What do you mean?” she breathed, trying in vain to cover the note of trepidation in her voice.

Stepping around her fair sister, Andromeda uncannily picked her way to where the black lily lay on the floor. Deft fingers gathered it and gently smoothed the damaged petals.

“Have you seen something?” Narcissa demanded.

“A glimpse. A warning you would do well to heed.” Andromeda turned to her sister. When she spoke, her voice held an undeniable note of power. “That which you are devoted to, you will lose. That which you seek to protect, you will expose. That which you made yourself blind to, you will see clearly.”

Reaching out, Andromeda cradled Narcissa’s hands around the black lily.

“Pray that that which may yet be crushed survives, or all will be lost.”

As the words rang in the stillness of the garden, fear seized Narcissa’s heart at the prophecy her sister had pronounced. Before the echoes died, though, Andromeda knew her sister would reject her warning. She had known it before Narcissa had even stepped foot into the Ministry, yet still, she had felt obligated to try.

“Silence!” Narcissa yelled at her elder sister. She threw down the damaged flower for the second time and ground it under her heel. Then she drew in deep, cleansing breath and attempted to calm her pounding heart. She tucked an errant lock of hair back into place. “You will do as I have asked. You have no other choice if you desire to be rid of your life debt to me,” she demanded haughtily.

“And if I grant you this boon, will it be discharged in full?” An elegant auburn eyebrow rose with the question.

Narcissa’s eyes narrowed. “You owe me for three lives, Dromeda. This will discharge one.”

Andromeda closed her eyes and reflected what Narcissa had said. Her sister had chosen her words well. A life debt was a heavy burden, more so when it pertained to three lives. Her devoted Ted, with his open heart and gentle humor, had looked past the surname ‘Black’, who had seen Andromeda for who she was. Her husband would have died alongside their beautiful daughter. Nymphadora’s face had been the last sight she had seen before Andromeda’s eyes had been seared and her vision lost forever.

But Nymphadora wouldn’t have allowed herself to be bullied, even by a family member. Her precocious daughter had grown into a strong woman. That strength was a common trait shared by the females in the Black family, even by one blind.

“Two,” Andromeda said in a soft voice that did little to hide the strength that ran through it. “I owe you two lives after keeping safe the secret you hid from Lucius all those years ago.”

“I’m certain I have no idea to what you’re referring.” The sneer that marred Narcissa’s features could not hide the trepidation Andromeda sensed her sister felt. “I’ve kept no secrets from my husband.”

“Truly? Then Lucius knows it wasn’t a miscarriage you suffered all those years ago, sweet Cissy, before you bore Draco? That it was simply a mistake you were rectifying after allowing a rat like him to continue to pollute your womb?”

Narcissa’s sharp inhalation marked the devastating blow Andromeda’s words had scored. Fear wormed through her stomach and her hands fluttered to her midsection.

_H–how could she have known?_

An instant later, Narcissa gathered herself, took a quick forward and swung her hand, intent on slapping her elder sibling. Andromeda’s hand shot out and seized Narcissa’s bracelet-adorned wrist before she could land her blow.

“I warned you, Cissy, that I was neither blind nor a fool,” Andromeda whispered squeezing her hand tighter, digging the bracelet into the pale skin of Narcissa’s wrist. “Secrets always have a price, little sister. I’ll keep yours and I’ll turn a blind eye as you asked, but you must forfeit the life debts I owe you.”

Narcissa struggled to yank her hand away, but Andromeda’s fingers were locked firmly around her wrist. “Fine!” Narcissa hissed.

“Then may God have mercy on our souls.”

_God and our cousin_ , Andromeda amended mentally as she released Narcissa’s wrist. She turned to take her leave when she thought of what laid ahead for her sister. Almost she spoke to Narcissa. Almost. Then she sighed. Whatever genuine affection they once had shared growing up had withered away long ago. Her little sister would have to face her challenges on her own.

Narcissa waited until Andromeda had departed before allowing herself to massage her wrist. By morning her fair skin would bear bruises. She intended to be far away from the Ministry before then. As she approached a door that appeared in the wall closest to her, she could not help but wonder why Andromeda had paused before leaving. Had she seen something else with her Seer talent? A shiver ran down Narcissa’s spine, causing her to draw her cloak close.

_No matter, it is done. Lucius and Draco will be safe and my secret will remain hidden. That is all that matters._

Narcissa entered the next room and shut the door. Unlike the garden, it was stark and devoid of any features. No doorway lead out. Confused, Narcissa turned to leave the way. Even as she reached for the handle, the door faded into the wall, disappearing completely. She spun swiftly on her heel and gasped. The walls slowly started moving in.

_That which you are devoted to, you will lose,_ her mind whispered, echoing her sister’s words.

“No, it’s not true,” she said. She had done what Lucius had asked, had secured their safety.

_That which you seek to protect …_

A vision of her only living child filled her mind. Draco, his face lined by a heavy burden. The image shifted, warped until it resembled a beady-eyed child that had once haunted her nightmares.

“That’s a lie. This room is a lie!” Narcissa closed her eyes and conjured the image of the walls receding. Then she envisioned a door on the far side of the room opening. She forced doubt from her mind and willed her vision to be so.

When she opened her eyes, the walls had returned to their normal place and across from her a door creaked open. A shuddering breath escaped her lips. Then she straightened her back and approached the exit.

 


	5. The Price

Stepping across the threshold, Narcissa found herself in a cavernous room dominated by a stone enclosure. The low walls of the enclosure were broken only by a pair of stone archways; one faced her side of the room and another faced the opposite. Both were flanked by twin basins of white fire. The flames did little to illuminate the vast space above where the ceiling was lost in shadows.

During Narcissa’s previous visit years ago, her departure from the antechamber of the Seer’s quarters had been swift and direct. The door had led back to the hall where the lift had awaited her. She had expected it would be the same this time, needed it to be after Andromeda’s unsettling words.

_It’s just another ward. Find your way through it and back to the lift._

The door behind her began to swing silently shut, and as it did so, Narcissa found her wrist yanked painfully back. Her bracelet was snagged on an odd rusty hook that protruded from this side of the door. Gingerly she slipped her bracelet free. Although the stones that adorned it were merely semi-precious, their meaning held more value to her than most wizards had in their goblin-protected vaults at Gringotts.

Her footsteps echoed queerly as she made her way to the stone archway. The acoustics of the chamber distorted every sound, amplifying it in a manner that made the fine hairs on her neck stand up by the time she reached the opening. It was only then that two remarkable things caught Narcissa’s attention and brought her to a halt.

The first was the glassy black floor of the enclosure. The slick surface, so unlike the simple stone pathway she had followed up to that point, seemed to absorb the light from the basins of fire. Narcissa had the feeling that she if she stared long enough at the surface, she might fall in.

Shaking her head of the strange idea, Narcissa focused on other thing that had drawn her notice. A thin serpentine chain was partially submerged beneath the glassy black floor where stone path continued. It trailed back through a second archway to the far wall where it was attached to a hook set on another door. A quick glance behind her confirmed the hook appeared to be identical to the one that had snagged her bracelet.

Narcissa took one step forward onto the black floor, intent on quickly crossing to the door and exiting.

That’s when it moved. The soft rattling the chain made was amplified and the resulting echo skittered down Narcissa’s spine like ice. Something stirred beneath the slick surface of the floor, first appearing as a speck of silver light, lazily gliding. She stepped back onto the stone pathway, but it was too late. The speck rapidly became a streak that left a glowing trail. Between one breath and the next, the streak grew wider, longer as it drew closer to the surface. The chain was pulled tautly and then it emerged from the depths of the solid floor.

It was a ghostly silver fox. Ears pricked forward, it calmly sat down in the middle of the stone enclosure. The chain that led from the door terminated in a loop around its neck. Flashes of green glittered along it, as if the loop was a collar encrusted with gems. That the fox was guarding the exit was blatantly obvious. That the magic of the room’s ward had taken this particular form, though, gave her pause. She would have expected a wyvern, perhaps, or even a dreaded Dementor, but certainly not a shy woodland creature like a fox.

_It looks like my Patronus,_ Narcissa noted with amazement. The moment the thought crossed her mind, the fox cocked its head as if in confirmation.

It had been Andromeda that had patiently taught Narcissa how to cast the Patronus charm over the course of her older sibling’s last summer at home. Dromeda had encouraged her to find and focus on her strongest memory of happiness until the wispy mist from the tip of her wand became corporeal. Of course, that memory had been of Lucius and the first time he had kissed her. Caught up in her thoughts, Narcissa took a step forward once more.

The fox’s body went tense as it abruptly leaned forward in a crouch, one front paw held up. Ears swiveled flat against its skull, the fox drew back its muzzle to reveal ghostly teeth. It strained against the chain that held it fast.

Narcissa glanced from the silver fox to the door behind it. Going back was not an option. The only way one left this part of the Ministry was by going forward.

From a hidden pocket, she withdrew her wand and quickly cast a silent hex. The fox nimbly leaped out of the way with a supernatural quickness. When it did the same to the second and third spell, Narcissa was forced to assess the situation. Blindly flinging charms at it wouldn’t work. Then an idea came to her.

_“Expecto patronum!”_

Instead of her wand producing her corporeal Patronus, though, it sputtered, producing a thin mist that flew to the ghostly fox. In amazement, Narcissa watched as the fox opened its mouth and swallowed her spell. The creature seemed to shiver for a moment as if fighting the effects. Hope briefly blossomed in Narcissa chest.

Then the fox surged upwards, growing, first doubling then tripling in size. Now larger than the winged boars that kept watch over the gates of Hogwarts, the fox bounded into the air. The length of the chain leading from its collar back to the door whipped off the hook. With its newly won freedom, it lunged at Narcissa with frightening speed. She barely had time to dive beneath the glowing creature to avoid its wickedly long teeth.

Narcissa barely had her feet beneath her when the long chain trailing behind the fox whipped around and grazed her forearm. Searing cold burned her skin and she cried out. Welts rose in a serpentine pattern where the chain had made contact.

Turning to face the silver fox as it gathered itself to charge once more, Narcissa spotted the hook on the door she had entered from. She remembered how she had unwittingly snagged her bracelet on the curved piece of rusty metal.

_That’s it!_

Without a second thought, she cast a charm not at the fox, but at the chain. The end of it spun in a glittering loop and lashed itself around the hook just as the fox lunged, teeth bared.

It came up a bare hand span short of Narcissa’s throat.

Scuttling on her backside in an undignified manner, Narcissa watched as it thrashed in a desperate attempt to reach her. The more it struggled, the smaller the fox grew until it had returned to its original size. Exhausted, it lay watching her with reproachful eyes.

Narcissa clambered to her feet and dusted off her clothes while attempting to gather her shredded dignity. Her steps were silent as she crossed the glassy black surface and headed for the far door. The moment she stepped onto the stone path, an uncanny wailing had her spinning around to face her defeated foe.

The silver fox was struggling as it began to sink into the floor. The look of desperation in its eyes was clear to Narcissa as it vainly thrashed to keep its head above the surface. It only had time to give voice to that achingly unearthly howl once more.

Narcissa didn’t know why, but as the black floor engulfed the silver fox, she was driven to race back towards the creature. She slid to a stop on her knees, her fingers scrabbling across the now solid surface. Too late, the silver fox was beyond reach. She watched as the green stones on a loop of chain around its throat glimmered faintly once more as it began to sink into the darkness. The multiple hues of green with the solitary black stone were as familiar as her beloved face.

“Labradorite, Uvarovite, Chalcedony, Indicolite, Utahlite, Schorl,” she whispered, naming off each semi-precious stones on the silver fox’s neck even as she fingered the corresponding one on her own betrothal bracelet. “Lucius?”  
 

* * *

Seated in her quarters where she waited for Ted, Andromeda wept silent tears. In her hands, she cradled a black lily.

_“Alea iacta est,”_ she murmured. “The die has been cast.”

Her heart ached for her sister, whose privileged life would soon be changed in ways Narcissa could not anticipate. She would need to dig deep to find strength sufficient enough to endure what lay ahead, particularly the revelation of Lucius’ long-held secret.

“That’s the thing about secrets,” Andromeda whispered to the fragrant blossom in her hands. “They’re not free, not even for a Seer.”

Her thoughts briefly turned towards the cousin she once held dearest. She had known since Voldemort’s first rise to power that Sirius Black’s life would end before the summer that now loomed ahead. Andromeda would have to bear the burden her own silence played in his fate.

“No,” Andromeda murmured as a tear slowly trailed a path along the edge of a dark petal. “There is always a price to pay.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by MNFF’s Gauntlet Writing Challenge IV back in May 2007. As such it disregards Deathly Hallows, which was released two months later.
> 
> Exquisite banner by cat! @ the-dark-arts.net


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